Review of The Last Advocate
Posted: 27 Dec 2023, 05:58
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Last Advocate" by L. J. Goodman.]
Do you ever imagine what the world will look like 50 or 100 years from now? With so many end-of-the-world predictions favoring a dystopic existence, I wonder if I want to be alive to see the world deteriorate into a deplorable state. Meanwhile, some people believe there will be a co-existence of a utopic and dystopic world. One of them must be L. J. Goodman. He shares his idea of the future world in The Last Advocate.
It is 2098, and the world has been divided into four segments: the black zone, the red zone, the yellow zone, and the crystal zone. The black zone has no life, as everything there has been submerged. The red zone has people living the lowest life possible. The yellow zone is also challenging to live but survivable. The crystal zone is in a utopic state, consisting of mostly genetically modified humans. The crystal zone is controlled by a man known as "The Leader." He calls all the shots, and no one dares to disobey his instructions. He has 12 men who serve as his councilmen. They are called "The Advocates." They have special privileges and make sure that everyone else falls in line. Dr. Marcus Jarret provides medical care for the two sets of genetically modified humans known as "Gen1s" and "Gen2s." When one of the Gen1 females, Anja, runs away from the crystal zone to the yellow zone, Dr. Marcus is sent to the yellow zone to find her. Thus begins a chain of revelations, twists, and turns that will challenge everything Dr. Marcus has believed. What does he find? What informed Anja's escape from the utopic crystal zone? Find out in The Last Advocate by L. J. Goodman.
The author structured this book well. He laid a solid foundation upon which the story was built. Every part of the story was well thought out. Each chapter focused on a particular segment, and we were shown life in these segments in detail. After reading about each segment of the world, I could imagine what those places looked like and how the people there lived.
I loved how the author made every character come alive. He described the characters so well that an artist could accurately draw each character. Their personalities shined forth, and picking each character out of the lot was easy. For instance, Dr. Marcus was a professional who never allowed his emotions to get in the way of his work. He was good at masking his emotions, no matter how triggered he might be. Also, Silvie's lack of education (because of where she came from) was vivid in her speeches. Whenever a conversation occurred, I didn't need the author to attribute a statement to Silvie before I knew she was the one speaking. This character distinction was seen in several other characters.
The author did more of showing than telling in the narration. It was a joy to figure out some outcomes by myself. For instance, I didn't need the author to tell me how old Dr. Marcus was. I figured it out during his conversation with Professor Harvey. The author left clues in the conversation to help me figure out Dr. Marcus's age at the time of the conversation.
I was also impressed by how the author used suspense and surprising elements to drive the plot. There were some discoveries I made along the way that amazed me. An instance was when I discovered the people who originally started the project that led to the creation of the crystal zone. The author showed his writing prowess in this book.
I did not find anything to dislike, and the book was exceptionally edited. Therefore, I'd rate the book 5 out of 5 stars. Finally, I'd recommend the book to folks who love stories set in the future.
******
The Last Advocate
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Do you ever imagine what the world will look like 50 or 100 years from now? With so many end-of-the-world predictions favoring a dystopic existence, I wonder if I want to be alive to see the world deteriorate into a deplorable state. Meanwhile, some people believe there will be a co-existence of a utopic and dystopic world. One of them must be L. J. Goodman. He shares his idea of the future world in The Last Advocate.
It is 2098, and the world has been divided into four segments: the black zone, the red zone, the yellow zone, and the crystal zone. The black zone has no life, as everything there has been submerged. The red zone has people living the lowest life possible. The yellow zone is also challenging to live but survivable. The crystal zone is in a utopic state, consisting of mostly genetically modified humans. The crystal zone is controlled by a man known as "The Leader." He calls all the shots, and no one dares to disobey his instructions. He has 12 men who serve as his councilmen. They are called "The Advocates." They have special privileges and make sure that everyone else falls in line. Dr. Marcus Jarret provides medical care for the two sets of genetically modified humans known as "Gen1s" and "Gen2s." When one of the Gen1 females, Anja, runs away from the crystal zone to the yellow zone, Dr. Marcus is sent to the yellow zone to find her. Thus begins a chain of revelations, twists, and turns that will challenge everything Dr. Marcus has believed. What does he find? What informed Anja's escape from the utopic crystal zone? Find out in The Last Advocate by L. J. Goodman.
The author structured this book well. He laid a solid foundation upon which the story was built. Every part of the story was well thought out. Each chapter focused on a particular segment, and we were shown life in these segments in detail. After reading about each segment of the world, I could imagine what those places looked like and how the people there lived.
I loved how the author made every character come alive. He described the characters so well that an artist could accurately draw each character. Their personalities shined forth, and picking each character out of the lot was easy. For instance, Dr. Marcus was a professional who never allowed his emotions to get in the way of his work. He was good at masking his emotions, no matter how triggered he might be. Also, Silvie's lack of education (because of where she came from) was vivid in her speeches. Whenever a conversation occurred, I didn't need the author to attribute a statement to Silvie before I knew she was the one speaking. This character distinction was seen in several other characters.
The author did more of showing than telling in the narration. It was a joy to figure out some outcomes by myself. For instance, I didn't need the author to tell me how old Dr. Marcus was. I figured it out during his conversation with Professor Harvey. The author left clues in the conversation to help me figure out Dr. Marcus's age at the time of the conversation.
I was also impressed by how the author used suspense and surprising elements to drive the plot. There were some discoveries I made along the way that amazed me. An instance was when I discovered the people who originally started the project that led to the creation of the crystal zone. The author showed his writing prowess in this book.
I did not find anything to dislike, and the book was exceptionally edited. Therefore, I'd rate the book 5 out of 5 stars. Finally, I'd recommend the book to folks who love stories set in the future.
******
The Last Advocate
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon